Abstract

A study has been undertaken to assess the significance of carbon and nitrogen content and stable isotopic variation in soils in relation to their practical use as a tool in forensic soil investigations. It forms part of a wider study to assess a range of techniques in a forensic context. Carbon and nitrogen abundance and δ13C and δ15N values have been determined in soil samples from six locations, using continuous flow-isotopic ratio mass spectrometry, to quantify: (1) stability over short time periods up to 2 years, (2) variation over short-scale distances, and (3) variability during primary transfer and mixing. Over a 2-year time period, variation was found to be largest in the elemental abundance, with the isotopic ratios being more stable. Used in combination, stable isotope analysis can be diagnostic and useful for discriminating between sites. No statistically significant differences at the 95% confidence level (using analysis of variance, ANOVA) were found for one-stage primary transfer in three of the four soils tested; the fourth sediment from an estuarine environment did show statistically significant difference at the 95% confidence level.

PURCHASE SHORT-TERM ACCESS

Pay Per Article - You may access this article (from the computer you are currently using) for 1 day for US$30.00

Pay per Volume - You may access this volume (from the computer you are currently using) for 7 days for US$200.00.

Regain Access - You can regain access to a recent Pay per Article purchase if your access period has not yet expired.

LIBRARY USERS

Log in through your institution

You may be able to gain access using your login credentials for your institution. Contact your library if you do not have a username and password.

If your organization uses OpenAthens, you can log in using your OpenAthens username and password. To check if your institution is supported, please see this list. Contact your library for more details.